📖 S — The English dictionary · page 45

sidewinder — Everyday, meaning 1: A small rattlesnake from the deserts of the south-western USA and Mexico that moves sideways by throwing its body in loops across the sand.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Any snake that moves this way (some vipers in African deserts do too).↗ Example: The sidewinder moved sideways across the hot sand.↗ · Sidewinders leave J-shaped tracks in the desert.↗ · Only a little of the sidewinder's body touches the sand at once.↗ · The sidewinder is a small rattlesnake.↗ · Sidewinders hunt lizards and mice at night.↗ · Never go near a rattlesnake, even a small one.↗

sidle — Everyday, meaning 1: To sidle is to walk slowly and sideways, moving quietly and a little shyly, often to avoid notice.↗ Example: A little demon came sidling up.↗ · The cat sidled up to the bowl of milk.↗ · He sidled out of the room when no one was looking.↗

siege — Everyday, meaning 1: A siege is when an army surrounds a town or castle and stops food and help getting in, so the people inside will give up.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A siege can also be when police surround a building where someone is hiding, often with hostages.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Under siege can mean being attacked or troubled from all sides by lots of problems or people.↗ Example: The castle held out through a long siege.↗ · The army laid siege to the city for six months.↗ · During the siege the people ate rats to survive.↗ · Police ended the siege after ten hours.↗ · The siege was lifted when help arrived.↗ · On sale day the shop was under siege from shoppers.↗ · We built a model siege engine in history.↗ · When the enemies of Virgilius heard of this, they assembled together and laid siege to his castle.↗ · And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters whom the LORD thy God hath given thee; in the siege and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall straiten thee.↗ (Torah DEU.28.53, JPS 1917)↗ · Gather up thy wares from the ground, O thou that abidest in the siege.↗ (Prophets JER.10.17, JPS 1917)↗ · 'Thus saith Sennacherib king of Assyria: Whereon do ye trust, that ye abide the siege in Jerusalem?↗ (Writings 2CH.32.10, JPS 1917)↗ · And thou shalt set thy face toward the siege of Jerusalem, with thine arm uncovered; and thou shalt prophesy against it.↗ (Prophets EZK.4.7, JPS 1917)↗

sienna — Everyday, meaning 1: A brownish-yellow (raw sienna) or reddish-brown (burnt sienna) earth colour used in paints and crayons.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: The clay pigment that gives this colour, first dug near Siena in Italy.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (name) «Sienna» is also a girl's first name.↗ Example: I painted the tree trunk burnt sienna.↗ · Raw sienna is a golden brown colour.↗ · Mix sienna with white for a lighter brown.↗ · The hills looked sienna in the evening light.↗ · Sienna has 12 crayons and gives 4 to Leo.↗ · Burnt sienna comes from heating clay.↗

sieve — Everyday, meaning 1: A sieve is a kitchen tool with a fine net or many small holes, used to separate small bits from big bits, or solids from liquid.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To sieve means to put something through a sieve.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: «A memory like a sieve» means you forget things easily.↗ Example: Sieve the flour into the bowl so the cake is light.↗ · We used a sieve to separate the sand from the stones.↗ · Pour the peas into the sieve to drain the water.↗ · Salt dissolved in water cannot be separated with a sieve.↗ · The Sieve of Eratosthenes helps us find prime numbers.↗ · I have a memory like a sieve — I forgot my PE kit again.↗ · Gold miners used to sieve river gravel to find gold.↗ · And they said to her, "Take a sieve and bring water in it."↗ · For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all the nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth.↗ (Prophets AMO.9.9, JPS 1917)↗ · And His breath is as an overflowing stream, that divideth even unto the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of destruction; and a bridle that causeth to err shall be in the jaws of the peoples.↗ (Prophets ISA.30.28, JPS 1917)↗

sift — Everyday, meaning 1: To shake flour or sand through a sieve to break up lumps or remove bits.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To look through many things carefully to find what is useful: sift through the evidence.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: To sift can also mean to fall lightly and finely, like fine rain or dust.↗ Example: Sift the flour into the bowl.↗ · We sifted the sand to find shells.↗ · The detective sifted through the papers.↗ · Sifting removes lumps.↗ · Sift the soil to take out the stones.↗ · She sifted through hundreds of photos.↗ · Dey wa'n't no rain, but de wet des sifted down; mighty raw day.↗ · I said in my heart: 'It is because of the sons of men, that God may sift them, and that they may see that they themselves are but as beasts.'↗ (Writings ECC.3.18, JPS 1917)↗ · For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all the nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth.↗ (Prophets AMO.9.9, JPS 1917)↗ · And His breath is as an overflowing stream, that divideth even unto the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of destruction; and a bridle that causeth to err shall be in the jaws of the peoples.↗ (Prophets ISA.30.28, JPS 1917)↗

sigh — Everyday, meaning 1: To sigh is to breathe out slowly and loudly, often because you are tired, sad, bored or relieved.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A sigh is that long, loud breath.↗ Example: She gave a big sigh when she saw the homework.↗ · We sighed with relief when the dog came home.↗ · «Not again,» he sighed.↗ · The tired runner sat down with a sigh.↗ · Mum sighed when she saw the muddy floor.↗ · The wind sighed through the trees.↗ · "No," said Jane, with a sigh.↗ · All the sighing thereof have I made to cease.'↗ (Prophets ISA.21.2, JPS 1917)↗ · The new wine faileth, the vine fadeth; all the merry-hearted do sigh.↗ (Prophets ISA.24.7, JPS 1917)↗ · By reason of the voice of my sighing my bones cleave to my flesh.↗ (Writings PSA.102.6, JPS 1917)↗

sight — Everyday, meaning 1: Sight is the ability to see; one of the five senses.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A sight is something you see, especially something special or interesting.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: In sight means able to be seen; out of sight means not able to be seen.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: To sight something means to see it, especially something rare or far away.↗ Example: Sight is one of our five senses.↗ · Owls have very good sight at night.↗ · Stay in sight of your parents at the fair.↗ · The rainbow was a beautiful sight.↗ · We saw the sights of London.↗ · The ship sailed out of sight.↗ · Sailors sighted land after weeks at sea.↗ · Looking at the Sun can damage your sight.↗ · It was such a pretty sight!↗ · And when Moses heard that, it was well-pleasing in his sight.↗ (Torah LEV.10.20, JPS 1917)↗ · And Joseph found favour in his sight, and he ministered unto him.↗ (Torah GEN.39.4, JPS 1917)↗ · And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians.↗ (Torah EXO.3.21, JPS 1917)↗ · Wherefore are we counted as beasts, and reputed dull in your sight?↗ (Writings JOB.18.3, JPS 1917)↗ · He striketh them as wicked men in the open sight of others; (Writings JOB.34.26, JPS 1917)↗ · Dig thou through the wall in their sight, and carry out thereby.↗ (Prophets EZK.12.5, JPS 1917)↗

sighting — Everyday, meaning 1: A sighting is an occasion when someone sees something rare, unusual or wanted: a bird, a whale, a UFO or a missing person.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: «Sighting» is also the -ing form of «sight» (to see or catch sight of), or of aiming a gun or telescope (sighting it).↗ Example: There was a rare sighting of a kingfisher by the river.↗ · Our class recorded ten bird sightings in one hour.↗ · Police asked for any sightings of the missing dog.↗ · The first sighting of land made the sailors cheer.↗ · There have been many UFO sightings, but none has been proved.↗ · The tally chart showed sightings of each bird.↗

sightless — Everyday, meaning 1: Sightless means unable to see; blind.↗ Example: Something moved in the sunshine, in the sightless cavernous eyes.↗ · A lizard moved in and out of the sightless holes of the skull.↗ · Ferko waited to rub the dew on his sightless eyes.↗

sigma — Everyday, meaning 1: The eighteenth letter of the Greek alphabet, written Σ (capital) and σ or ς (small).↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (maths) The capital Σ means "add up all of these" (the sum); small σ is used in statistics for standard deviation (how spread out numbers are).↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (slang, internet) Used by some young people to mean "cool", "independent" or "the best", as in "sigma male"; often a joke or meme.↗ Example: Σ is the Greek capital letter sigma.↗ · In maths, Σ means "add them all up".↗ · The sum Σ from 1 to 5 equals 15.↗ · "He didn't care what anyone thought — so sigma," joked my brother.↗ · Small sigma σ is used to show spread in statistics.↗ · In Greek, sigma makes an "s" sound.↗

sign — Everyday, meaning 1: A sign is a board with words or pictures that tells you something, like a road sign or a shop sign.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A sign in maths is a mark like +, −, ×, ÷ or =.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A sign is something that shows that something is true or will happen: dark clouds are a sign of rain.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: To sign is to write your name on something.↗ Everyday, meaning 5: To sign is also to talk with hand signs, as in sign language.↗ Example: The sign says the town is 12 miles away.↗ · Put the right sign between 7 and 3 to get 10.↗ · The sign shows apples cost 50 cents each.↗ · 30 people signed the card.↗ · Stop at the stop sign and look both ways.↗ · Swallows coming back are a sign of spring.↗ · Please sign your name at the bottom.↗ · My cousin uses sign language to talk with her deaf friend.↗ · A smile is often a sign that someone is happy.↗ · “Read the sign and you’ll know.”↗ · the great trials which thine eyes saw, the signs and those great wonders; (Torah DEU.29.3, JPS 1917)↗ · And thou shalt take in thy hand this rod, wherewith thou shalt do the signs.'↗ (Torah EXO.4.17, JPS 1917)↗ · And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt.↗ (Torah EXO.7.3, JPS 1917)↗ · Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the interdict.↗ (Writings DAN.6.10, JPS 1917)↗ · This shall be a sign to the house of Israel.↗ (Prophets EZK.4.3, JPS 1917)↗ · How great are His signs! and how mighty are His wonders!↗ (Writings DAN.3.33, JPS 1917)↗

signal — Everyday, meaning 1: A signal is a sound, light, sign or movement that gives a message or warning: a traffic signal, a hand signal.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A signal is the radio waves that carry sound, pictures or data to phones, TVs and radios.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: To signal is to give a message by a movement, light or sound.↗ Example: The traffic signal turned red.↗ · Signal with your arm before you turn on your bike.↗ · My phone has no signal in the mountains.↗ · The teacher raised her hand as a signal for quiet.↗ · Three whistle blasts are a signal for help.↗ · Nerves carry signals to the brain.↗ · The referee signalled a free kick.↗ · A smoke signal rose from the hill.↗ · Conn gave the signal and his guests seated themselves.↗ · Put yourselves under covert, ye children of Benjamin, away from the midst of Jerusalem, and blow the horn in Tekoa, and set up a signal on Beth-cherem; for evil looketh forth from the north, and a great destruction.↗ (Prophets JER.6.1, JPS 1917)↗

signalling — Everyday, meaning 1: Present participle of «signal»: giving a sign, sound or light to send a message.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Showing that something is happening: «Dark clouds are signalling rain.».↗ Everyday, meaning 3: noun The system of signals on a railway or in the body: «railway signalling», «cell signalling».↗ Example: The cyclist was signalling left.↗ · The lifeguard is signalling for us to come in.↗ · Dark clouds were signalling a storm.↗ · Railway signalling stops trains from crashing.↗ · Sailors used flags for signalling.↗ · Always check the driver is signalling before you cross.↗

signally — Everyday, meaning 1: Signally means in a striking, remarkable way, so that it is clearly noticed.↗ Example: The story will signally illustrate her temper.↗ · He signally defeated all his opponents.↗ · The Pierides were signally defeated.↗

signatory — Everyday, meaning 1: (formal) A signatory is a person, group or country that has signed an official agreement, contract or treaty.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (formal, money) A signatory on a bank account is a person allowed to sign cheques and approve payments.↗ Example: (formal) Over a hundred countries are signatories to the treaty.↗ · All the signatories must sign on the last page.↗ · Both my parents are signatories on the house contract.↗ · (money) The club treasurer is a signatory on the bank account.↗ · (formal) The signatories agreed to protect the rainforest.↗ · Every pupil in the class became a signatory to our class charter.↗

signature — Everyday, meaning 1: A signature is your name written in your own special way, to show you agree to or wrote something.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A signature is also a special feature that makes something easy to recognise, like a chef's signature dish.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: In music, the time signature and key signature are signs at the start of the music.↗ Example: Please ask your parent for their signature on the trip form.↗ · The famous footballer gave me his signature.↗ · Your signature shows you agree.↗ · Pizza is the restaurant's signature dish.↗ · The time signature tells you how many beats in a bar.↗ · She practised her signature on scrap paper.↗ · The letter had no signature.↗ · Oh that I had one to hear me! — Lo, here is my signature, let the Almighty answer me — and that I had the indictment which mine adversary hath written!↗ (Writings JOB.31.35, JPS 1917)↗